Loving Our Neighbors

 VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

 Benjamin Kreps:

 Hey everyone. Welcome back to the Mark Prater podcast where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Mark last time, last week, we talked about how Sovereign Grace Churches has been stepping up to embrace the privilege of financially providing for partners globally who are really struggling even more than we are when it comes to food shortages and things like that. But, apparently the rest of Sovereign Grace and some we didn't know about at the time that had already happened, you know, basically said, hold my beer. And all kinds of things have happened giving wise since then? Can you tell us about that?

 Mark Prater:

Yeah, it's so encouraging. I want our guys to hear there's been this explosion of generosity and let me say it that way. Within the last week, we've now raised over $90,000 that's making its way, if it's not there already, to two nations that have real needs of people that basically need food during this pandemic. So, I'll just give you a little bit of an idea.

Liberia at least $10,000 your region gave to that and Sovereign Grace Church in Sydney, both churches in Sydney, gave to that. In the Philippines, well over $22,000, Sovereign Grace Church of Orange, Covenant Life Fellowship in Roseburg, both churches in Sydney, Rich’s church, Center Church in Gilbert, Arizona and Sovereign Grace Church of Pasadena. And then we gave some money out of the central budget. We sent money to a closed nation where Scott Crook has taken initiative to train pastors theologically from that nation. He's from the Midwest-Northwest region. So, churches in that region have given.

Again, the Roseburg church gave $8,000, Bolivia, almost $20,000. An individual donor gave $5,000. Center Church in Gilbert, the church in Richmond, Kingsway, Grace Church in Clarksburg, the Mid-South region. And then there's some needs in Mexico that's emerging. So Rich’s church gave money there. And then Ricky Alcantar’s church, Cross of Grace Church in El Paso, gave almost $1,900 to a pastor by the name of JP. He was at our conference a couple years ago and I've already received pictures back where he's distributing food to people in their area. So there is a strong global partnership right now that's functioning in this pandemic.

Benjamin Kreps:

So beautiful. Just the surge of generosity coming from churches in our denomination. And you had some thoughts about what's behind that. It’s not just a desire to be kind to people, but something even more substantial. 

Mark Prater:

Yeah. I think that it’s the effect of a couple of things. I believe it's the faithful preaching of the gospel week in and week out by our pastors in our churches. And it's the intentional way that we have always built a gospel culture. And we've got to credit C.J. for teaching us how to do that. We all stand on his shoulders, but we're continuing to build that gospel culture so that the good works that God's created us to do, Ephesians 2:10, really does flow from the gospel itself.

Benjamin Kreps:

The general generosity proceeding from the generosity of God in Christ.

Mark Prater:

Yeah, exactly. And by the way, we're not just seeing this globally, we're seeing it locally. So I've started hearing reports of how churches, Sovereign Grace Churches, where members are taking initiative on their own. So work with local food banks to get food and then distribute that food in their community or to members of the church in need. So that's happened in Marlton, New Jersey and Souderton, Pennsylvania. I was just up in Wissinoming in Northeast Philadelphia with Dan Birkholz, his church. They're doing that so that it's not just a global work that's being done. It's a local one as well. In fact, you're doing a similar thing there at Living Hope.

Benjamin Kreps: 

Yeah, we are. A couple of weeks ago we worked with a local food pantry, big organization, to purchase 322 boxes of food, I believe, 35 to 40 pound boxes of food. And so we had a drive through food blessing two weeks ago and again on a Friday. And we had a couple of hundred cars passing through, actually about 300 cars passing through. 

Over the course of two hours, a team of folks from a community group were out there handing out boxes and so it was something that we haven't done before. We haven't tried something like this before, but it was gratifying to see how much of a blessing it was and how much we were actually meeting the need without amount of people that were driving through. So that was the idea of a community group and in our church.

And so we're doing it again tomorrow, so the podcast won't be till Monday, but Friday we're doing another one, same amount of boxes essentially. And, again, that's community groups that are coming together to purchase many of the of food and actually to staff the handout. So the thought is a God's doing unexpected things and expanding our vision about what it means to be a blessing in our community and to reach others with the love of Christ.

Mark Prater:

So, Ben, how would you say that strengthens the gospel culture you're building at Living Hope? 

Benjamin Kreps:

Yeah. Well, you know, of course an essential part of ensuring that there's a healthy gospel culture is that we're actually, our lives are lived in accord with the gospel and we're walking in a manner worthy of the gospel. So this is just a practical way to put feet and hands on those things that we hold dearly when it comes to generosity.

And wanting to see the glory of Christ fill Middletown because of the gospel. So this just gives us a fresh opportunities to step into practically walking out the beauty of the gospel in being a blessing in our community. So it just put its put legs on it for us in a way that maybe we haven't quite done before. 

 Mark Prater:

And all of that's being done, what I've seen, is with joy. So joy marks a gospel culture, right, Philippians 4, rejoice always, again, I say rejoice. With an explosion of generosity, I think there's an explosion of joy. 

Ben Kreps: 

Yes, yes, definitely. So, well, the stories keep piling up and we anticipate that we will hear more and more stories about churches that are stepping into generosity and seeking to be a blessing and to love people, love our neighbor during this season. So, thanks for filling us in with some of those stories and we'll talk again soon. So, thanks Mark. And thank you everybody who's been watching. God bless every pastor who's watching this podcast as you seek to be faithful and love your neighbor and express the beauty of the gospel and your local context. So we'll see you next time.

Mark Prater is the Executive Director of Sovereign Grace Churches and has served as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church since 2002.

Is Evangelism a Spiritual Gift?

If you could change anything about yourself to make you more effective in evangelism, what would you change?   I’ve asked this question to many people, over many years, in many different places.  Typically people will say: “I wish I were bolder.”, “I wish I knew how to answer questions better.”,  “I wish I was more outgoing.”  It’s pretty easy to come up with a list of things about ourselves that make us unqualified to do evangelism.  But imagine the early disciples reasoning in the same manner: “Listen guys, Phillip really seems like a people-person. Let’s have him do the reaching out.” or “Bartholomew seems to be smart and pretty persuasive. Let’s get him to do the evangelism.”  That would be preposterous.  Why?  Because all the disciples were busy proclaiming the gospel (Acts 8:1-4)!  From the very beginning, becoming a follower of Christ always included becoming a “fisher of men” (Mark 1:17).  It was a job not just for the outgoing, not just for the socially gifted, but for everybody.

Here’s another way of looking at it.  Have you ever heard a Christian say, “I’m not gifted in prayer - I’ll leave it to those who are really spiritual.” or “I’m not gifted in reading the Bible - I’ll leave that to the intellectuals.”? You’ve probably never heard this because these statements would sound ridiculous coming from a true Christian.  But here is a statement that I have heard many true Christians make: “I’m not gifted in evangelism - I’ll just leave it to those who are more outgoing.”  Although I understand the feeling, I think that statement is as off base as the others.

Many Christians think they don’t have the “gift of evangelism” so they regularly opt out of it. Sadly, the mindset of “it’s-not-my-gift” has kept innumerable laborers from entering the harvest field. But the Bible never mentions the gift of evangelism.  Rather, it mentions the gift of the “evangelist,” a church leader given “to equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Eph. 4:11-12), in this case, the work of evangelism. 

Christians don’t need to be uniquely gifted to evangelize; rather, we need to be equipped!  Evangelism is not a gift given to some, it’s a command given to all.  One of our main callings as followers of Christ is to help others become followers of Christ.  Many of us have misfiled evangelism in the spiritual gift drawer when it needs to be filed in the spiritual discipline drawer.   It’s not reserved for those who are outgoing, any more than Bible study is reserved for those who are studious.

When we make this correction in our minds, we see that we should seek to grow and be accountable in evangelism just as we are in other spiritual disciplines.  Accountability is one of the key tools that God uses to help us grow.  We are accountable in areas that are important to us - areas like quiet times, purity, scripture memory, etc.  But we are rarely accountable in the area of evangelism.  My community group has tried to make this adjustment by talking about reaching out.  We will periodically go around the room and talk about who we are reaching out to or if we have had an opportunity to connect with someone who doesn’t know the Lord.  It’s always motivating to hear the stories, and it’s also a reminder that God wants to use us.  It’s not that we don’t desire to reach people for Christ - that isn’t the issue (at least not in my community group).  It’s just that it can be hard to make it a priority and fit it into our busy schedules.  Accountability is what makes the difference.  We recognize that evangelism is something we’re all called to participate in and we need each other to help us get there.  

I have often thought about my church and how it is filled with wonderful, fun-loving, hospitable, enjoyable people.  What has stumped me over the years is how to get this fun-loving bunch connected with unbelieving men and women.  I believe that encouraging each other in the context of small groups can help. We won’t all have the same passion or effectiveness when it comes to reaching unbelievers.  But we can all grow.  And by God’s grace, He will use each of us, with our personal strengths and weaknesses and our specific personalities, to tell people about the glorious gospel of Christ.

Jim Donahue is the Pastor of Evangelism at Covenant Fellowship Church, Glenn Mills, PA.

Do the Work of an Evangelist

A person doesn't waste his last words on trivial matters – the weather, sports, or the latest hit movie.  A person uses his last words to communicate only the most essential things.  In  2 Timothy 4, we have the apostle Paul's last words to his beloved disciple Timothy.  The essence of these words is found in verse 2 – "preach the word."  But then, in verse 5, we see this further exhortation – "do the work of an evangelist."

This work is obviously an important one given that its part of Paul’s last words.  It’s also something that every pastor is being called upon to do.  But what does it mean?  What is the work of an evangelist?  How exactly does one do that work?

We get a clue in Ephesians 4:11-12, “he gave…evangelists…to equip the saints for the work of ministry.”  Rico Tice summarizes it this way: “Part of a pastors job is to help people proclaim Christ in whatever circumstances God has placed them.” Honest Evangelism, p. 47.

Let me suggest four things a pastor does to do the work of an evangelist:

1. He calls people to evangelism. 

   He repeats and explains Jesus's commissions to every Christian to do in passages like Matthew 28, Luke 24, and Acts 1.

   CHARLES SPURGEON – “It is the whole business of the whole church to preach the whole gospel to the whole world.” 

2. He equips people for evangelism.

   He teaches them what they need to know to be an effective witness, the elements of gospel witness. 

   PAUL LITTLE - "Many Christians are ineffective ambassadors because they're not sure of the content of their message and are unable to communicate it understandably to others."  How to Give Away Your Faith

3. He motivates people for evangelism.

   Most people find evangelism, particularly consistent evangelism, hard.  Without using guilt or manipulation, he helps people to gain a heart for evangelism.

   J.I. PACKER – “There are, I fact, two motives that should spur us constantly to evangelize.  The first is love to God and concern for his glory; the second is love to man and concern for his welfare.” Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, p. 73.

4. He deploys people in evangelism.

   He helps them to see the ways that they can witness.  He helps them to see and understand their particular mission field – the everyday places they live, work, and play.  And he sends.

   RICO TICE – “It’ no accident that you know the people you do.  It’s no accident that they’re in your path…we need to understand that God has put people around us because he wants them to hear the gospel.” Honest Evangelism, p. 50.

Obviously, some men are specifically called and gifted in evangelism.  But in 2 Timothy Paul calls all pastors to participate in this glorious work.  C.J. Mahaney said it this way – “Cultivating evangelism in the local church is one of a pastor’s most important responsibilities and difficult challenges.” (in Dever, The Gospel, and Personal Evangelism, p. 12).  So may each of us accept the responsibility and challenge and begin to faithfully “do the work of an evangelist” in our local church.  

Reaching Out While Staying In

When my sons were young, I would sometimes take them to construction sites on my day off so we could watch the big trucks and loaders do their thing.  One day, we pulled up to a busy site and my young son jumped out of the car and yelled, “Wow!”  His brother jumped out right behind him and shouted, “Wow! Wow!” We called it a Double Wow Moment.  The pandemic that has come upon us deserves a Double Wow. 

This unique time in history presents us with some great opportunities to reach out to others.  It’s often in times of crisis that people are more open to the gospel, and right now we are all in some form of crisis.  Our neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and family members are scared, and they don’t know where to turn.  Some fear the virus itself; others wonder how they’re going to make rent this month or pay for medicine they need.  

This is where we come in. As followers of Jesus, one of our main jobs is to help others become followers of Jesus (Matthew 4:19).  In order to save us, Jesus had to be outward in his focus. When we are joined to Christ through his extraordinary death for us, we too become outward in focus. We become like Him. Since our greatest need has been met in Christ, we can now turn and meet the needs of others, and there are many needs to meet!  So in times of “social distancing” how can we be reaching out while staying in?

Here are a few ways:

• Prayer - During a time of crisis, people are more open to prayer. They’re struggling with fear, uncertainty, loneliness, despair, boredom and other difficult feelings.  Let’s offer to pray for them during these months. Who can we reach out to today?

• Service - Meeting practical needs is powerful. Those who are older or in the high-risk category might not be comfortable running to the grocery store or doing an errand.  They also might need some help around the house.  How can we step in to meet these needs?

• Invitation - In times like these, people are often more open to church than usual, so why not invite them to watch your church’s service if it’s live-streamed? And if it’s not, find another that is. My wife, Trish, just posted this on our neighborhood Facebook group:

Hi neighbors,

What a crazy time we are living through! It's great to see our neighborhood caring for each other. We know lots of churches in the area are canceled. We attend (and Jim helps pastor) Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, and some other neighboring families attend as well. We are live-streaming our Sunday service through this crisis, so feel free to join us on Sunday morning at 10:00 if you are so inclined! The link is: covfel.org/live

This is a time of anxiety and economic hardship for many. Feel free to send us any prayer requests you might have, and it would be a privilege to pray for you. Also, let us know if we can help with any errands or physical needs. And for those of you with kids home from school: we hope you all stay sane!

There are countless ways to show Christ’s love to those around us, and I hope these few suggestions spur you on as you lead your church. I’d love to hear any ideas you have! Let’s be sure that we use this time, not just to pray the inconveniences away, but to reach out to those who desperately need the hope of the gospel.

Jim Donahue is the Pastor of Evangelism at Covenant Fellowship Church, Glenn Mills, PA.

A Culture of Evangelism

Culture—the attitudes and behaviors characteristic of a particular social group.

All churches have a culture, attitudes, and behaviors that characterize them.  Scripture shapes that culture, by theology, by polity, by leaders, and by the relational dynamics among members.  Culture develops over time and can change over time.

I read a statement by David Platt in his introduction to Mack Stiles’ book Evangelism that had me thinking – “That’s the culture of evangelism I want to see in Sovereign Grace churches!!”  Here is what he said about his visit to Stiles’ church:

I stood literally amazed by the grace of God, not just upon one Christian passionate about sharing the gospel, but upon an entire community passionate about sharing the gospel.  As I looked around, I observed a contagious culture of evangelism across the church.  It is a culture of evangelism that is not ultimately dependent on events, projects, programs, and ministry professionals.  Instead, it is a culture of evangelism that is built on people filled with the power of God’s Sprit proclaiming the gospel of God’s grace in the context of their everyday lives and relationships.

So many things in this observation resonate with me.

• “An entire community passionate about sharing the gospel.”

• “A contagious culture of evangelism.”

• “A culture of evangelism that is built on people filled with the power of God’s Spirit proclaiming the gospel of God’s grace in the context of their everyday lives and relationships.”

I don’t know where all of our churches are regarding evangelism.  I assume some are doing well and some not so well and that most are somewhere in between.  But I suspect that every pastor would like to see their church grow in this all-important area.  And I hope that, like me, many of you read Platt’s observation and something in you said—“That’s what I want my church to be like.”

But a culture like that doesn’t develop by just having an occasional message or seminar on evangelism.  A culture like that only develops over time as we equip for, encourage and pray about evangelism.  

Here’s why I’m telling you all this.  Jim Donohue (who I think is SG’s most gifted evangelist) and I are teaming up to serve our pastors and churches to hopefully create just such a culture as I’ve been talking about.  Here are some things we are planning…

• Writing short monthly articles like this one to train and motivate our pastors and evangelists to better serve their churches.

• Identifying and training evangelists in our midst to serve in each of our regions.

• Developing materials for small groups that can be used to equip and inspire our members to consistent evangelism.

• Paul wrote to the Colossians about—“the gospel which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing – as it does in you, since the day  you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth” (1:5-6).

Our hope and prayer are that this is something that will be said of local churches in Sovereign Grace as, by God’s grace, our culture of evangelism bears fruit and grows.